


Nami ni uwasa ga aru (of one who now sails with Davy Jones)

by stereden



Series: Watashitachi wa Roger kaizoku desu [6]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Buggy and Shanks meet the Blackjacks, Competent!Buggy, Feels, Gen, Grief, It... doesn't go well, The Blackjacks didn't know Rouge was dead, and tell them of Rouge's death, because i could, but they didn't know, dealing with grief, i stole the blackjacks from naruto and bleach, i will make that tag a thing or die trying, they don't take it well, they suspected, to say the least, which was expected
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2020-02-09 10:51:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18636664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stereden/pseuds/stereden
Summary: “There is a rumour on the waves,” He starts, and his eyes are locked on Yadomaru who is paling by the second. “Of one who once sailed aboard this ship.”The words are words he learnt by heart, all those years ago back when he and Shanks had just joined the crew and Roger had taken it upon himself to try and give them their first look into a pirate’s life. They are instinct and tradition and old and Buggy hates that he is the one speaking them today.





	1. And the blue waves dance o'er the ocean crest, Where the billows bound and the winds sport free, They have buried him there in the deep deep sea.

**Author's Note:**

> So, here it is, the promised confrontation with the Blackjacks! It only took me four months, but here it is! And it's gonna be a multi-chapter one, because the Blackjacks have a lot to say.
> 
> Buggy and Shanks get to Tortoise Island to talk with the Blackjacks. Which... doesn't go well. At least to start with. Because while they feared Rouge was dead, they didn't know for sure. And here come Roger's cabin brats, telling them she died eighteen years ago. And that she had a kid. And they had no idea.
> 
> They don't exactly take it well. Grief is not rational, after all. So they're angry. They will get there... but it will take time. But this chapter is very much their immediate reaction.
> 
> Fair warnings: FEELS and possibly tears ahead, BYT (but hey, this is me we're talking about here, you guys were probably expecting this xD)
> 
> Also this chapter starts with Shanks POV and then switches to Buggy's, because Shanks was so excited about sailing with Buggy again and wouldn't be silenced (and I didn't have the heart to do so).
> 
> Hope you'll like it, and sorry this took me so long!
> 
> Story title is supposed to mean: There's a rumour on the waves (of one who now sails with Davy Jones) - again this is probably a bad google translation, so don't hesitate to correct me!

_They have lowered him low o'er the vessel side,_  
_Above him has closed the dark cold tide,_  
_Where to dip the light wings the sea bird rests,_  
_And the blue waves dance o'er the ocean crest,_  
_Where the billows bound and the winds sport free,_  
_They have buried him there in the deep deep sea._

(The Ocean Burial)

* * *

Shanks throws Rockstar at Buggy’s stolen ship as soon as Buggy accepts that they’re coming with him. It’s been over a _decade_ since they last sailed together, and Shanks is not letting this opportunity pass him by. Rockstar can handle the little ship just fine - Shanks is sailing with Buggy and not taking no for an answer.

He’s a bit worried, at first, that this might bring back memories of the time when they were being hunted by Captain’s enemies, but then Buggy is _smiling_ , and Shanks remembers that not all of those days were bad days. Some of them were good days, when the weather was nice and the sea was calm and they would find it in themselves to laugh at silly things like ridiculous looking fishes or weird clouds. The calm before the storm, too often, but that’s what had kept them going, back then.

They fall back into their old habits easily, effortlessly adapting to Shanks’ missing arm. The red-head takes the helm while Buggy takes care of the sails, and then they’re off.

* * *

 They sail in silence for a while at first, just basking in each other’s presence.

“I missed this,” Buggy says, softly.

“Me too,” Shanks answers.

* * *

 Of course, because they’re Shanks-and-Buggy and Buggy-and-Shanks, they start bickering less than an hour in.

But that’s fine, Shanks think even as he teases his friend and watches as Buggy turns redder and redder before launching himself at him, clearly intending to throttle him. Because underneath the bluster, Buggy is smiling and Shanks is laughing even as he dodges.

They’re going to be fine.

* * *

"This is  _not_ something I missed!" Buggy yells at him from where he's desperately trying to adjust the sails in order to deal with the storm that just came out of nowhere without the ship capsizing on them.

And Shanks laughs, laughs and laughs and laughs, because truly? This is something  _he_ missed _,_ working on a ship together with his best friend, dealing with the crazy weather of the Grand Line, only the two of them. He loves the Red Force, but now that his crew is bigger he rarely has a chance to do some actual sailing. He takes the helm, sometimes, but most of the work is done by his nakamas and he hadn't quite realized how much he'd missed it.

But it's  _easy_ to fall back into old habits, and he's quietly relieved to find out that his missing arm does not actually hamper him that much. He can still climb the ropes like the best of them, can still bring in the sails without trouble, just has to adjust his stance and get creative with the ropes, but he can still do it.

(Shanks still has some issues with his missing arm. He doesn't regret losing it, because that would mean regretting saving Luffy and that's never been an option, but... the adjusting period was not easy.)

(The look Mihawk gave him, the fact that the swordsman has refused to spar with him ever since... Well. That didn't help.)

(Buggy did, though. Buggy helped.)

(Because Buggy showed up six days after the Akagami had left Dawn Island, because Benn had called him, even though Shanks hadn't wanted to worry his friend.)

(Buggy had shown up and then proceeded to yell at him for three hours straight, furious and worried and  _terrified_ because he could have lost Shanks and that was something he would never be ready for, just as Shanks knew that he would never be prepared to lose Buggy.)

~~(Three years without knowing if Buggy was alive or not, and Shanks does not want to remember those.~~ )

(Buggy had yelled at him and hugged him and then dared him to become a Yonkou anyway, to prove everyone wrong, to prove _Mihawk_ wrong.)

(Had offered to find a way to inconvenience Shanks' rival,  _because there's no way I can take the guy in a fight but I can damn well make his life complicated, and stop laughing you moron I'm serious!_ )

(Shanks had nearly taken him up on his offer. But instead he stopped moping and started training again, and he hasn't had the chance yet to challenge Mihawk again but Buggy is already planning on selling tickets and filming the whole thing because  _You're going to pound him into the ground and it's going to be glorious and flashy and there's no way I'm not getting a memento of that._ )

(Buggy had never doubted that Shanks would be able to make it to the top. Not a single second. Two arms, one arm, what difference did it make? None, in Buggy's eyes. To Buggy, Shanks was Shanks and could be whatever he damn well wanted and the rest of the world would just have to deal with it.)

(So okay, maybe Benn had been right to call him.)

Shanks is torn out of his memories by ice-cold snow hitting his face.

"When the hell did it start snowing?!" He splutters, wiping it off his face and looking at his smirking crewmate.

"Probably while you were off daydreaming instead of helping me, idiot!" Buggy snarks back. "It's Grand Line bullshit, don't you remember? Come on, help me sweep this crap off before it melts and rots your ship."

Shanks looks around. There's snow all over the Red Speed's small deck, piling up already despite the fact that it had to have started only moments ago. Then he looks back at his friend, and suddenly Buggy is backing away waving his arms in front of him.

"No. No. No - don't you dare!"

But Shanks is already crouching down and gathering snow in his hand and throwing it, hitting Buggy straight on the nose.

Buggy stares at him, gaping, and then he smirks, an evil glint in his eyes.

"Oh, it's on now!"

And really, there's nothing Shanks can do but laugh at that.

Damn.

He really did miss this.

* * *

 

* * *

They’re not laughing when they dock on Tortoise Island at dusk, anchoring their ship in a small, hidden creek.

“Sure you don't want me to stay, Okashira?” Rockstar asks, and Shanks waves him away.

“Probably best if you stay away. This is not going to be easy, and it's probably better if there's no outsider, no offense.”

They haven't told the younger man what they're here for, what made Buggy cross into the grand line again, but Rockstar is smart enough to have at least an inkling.

And smart enough to simply nod and head for the other side of the island while Buggy and Shanks make their way towards the Stenographer.

( _Second favourite after Benn for a reason_ , Buggy thinks, even as he braces himself for the upcoming conversation.)

* * *

 “Permission to come aboard?” Shanks calls ahead as he knocks on the half closed door. The bar is nearly empty, the last patrons having been shoved out unmercifully not ten minutes ago.

Buggy and Shanks had waited for that, because this is not something anyone else should witness, this is about respect and honour and memory and _keeping Ace safe_ , and they're not taking any risks this time.

Buggy could have done without Shanks announcing their presence like that, though. He knows it's tradition, knows it's _good manners_ , even if it's a bar and not a ship and there is no captain to receive them, but it also means that now they have to face the music. No more dithering.

Buggy takes a deep breath even as he hears rustling inside.

Seconds later, Yadomaru Lisa throws the door open and looks at them.

Standing there, with her arms crossed and her glasses and her dark hair that hasn't started greying even though those are definitely age lines around her eyes, an eyebrow raised at the two of them, and it feels like being thrown back in time and Buggy _hates it_.

“Well well well,” the Blackjack's first mate drawls. “Look at what the cat has dragged in. Eighteen years since I saw the last of the two of you together, and now, of all the bars in all the Blues, you show up in mine. Give me one good reason I shouldn't kick your asses back to Silver's?”

Buggy can't quite help the flinch at that, and he feels more than he sees Shanks’ glare (because of fucking course Shanks notices, and of fucking course he would take offence and really, Buggy appreciates it, but _this is not the time_!).

“Because you know we wouldn't be here without a reason, Queen of Clubs”, Buggy answers before Shanks can get started.

“Given that last I heard you were staying firmly in East Blue while Tomato-head somehow managed to become a _Yonko_ and spends most of his time in the New World?” Yadomaru eyebrow rises slightly. “It better be a good one.”

She takes a step back into the bar.

“Permission granted - for now. You start anything in _my_ bar and I will kick your asses, big scary Yonko or not. I remember when you were barely waist-height - I am not scared of you.”

“And we remain properly terrified of you and your entire crew of lunatics,” Buggy sighs, resting his hand briefly on Shanks’ shoulder before he follows her inside.

* * *

 The bar is a nice one - Buggy has never been inside the Black Maria back when the Blackjacks were still sailing, but he would bet that the decor is at least slightly inspired from that. It certainly _feels_ like he's in a ship, despite the sea being over two miles away. It's the dark wood on the walls, and the round windows, and the curtains that look more like sails.

There's a couple of people hanging around, cleaning the tables or washing the glasses, some of them just sitting by the fire playing cards, and it's oh so easy to recognise them.

‘Ballbuster’ Kuukaku. The sharpshooter with a disturbing tendency to aim for the family jewels when pissed off.

'Quicksand’ Ganju. A trap maker of the greatest caliber.

Kyoraku of the two swords. 'White Ghost’ Ukitake. Two swordsmen able to fight seamlessly side by side no matter the situation.

'Smirking’ Shinji. A spy master that rivals Shakky.

'Earth-fist’ Tsunade. 'Poison’ Shizune. The scariest doctor Buggy has ever met and her apprentice.

'Crazy’ Urahara. The Blackjack's resident shipwright and mad scientist.

'Trident’ Kaien who has earned his name wielding that exact weapon with deadly competency.

Even their former shipbrat, Nanao something, Ise, that's it, is there - she's what, twenty-five now? - and

Buggy squashes the jealousy he is feeling.

(All of them are here. They stuck together. No one got left behind. Not even the apprentice.)

(Buggy can't afford to think about that now.)

(Or ever.)

* * *

The Blackjacks look up at their entrance, and Buggy sees more than one raised eyebrows.

“What are Roger's brats doing here?” Tsunade asks, already halfway drunk and losing badly at the poker game taking place in front of her. Some things never change, apparently.

He tries not to wince at what she calls them. It's not that Buggy doesn't want to acknowledge his time under Gol D Roger - but he would very much prefer if the rest of the world could let it go.

(Buggy sailed under Gol D Roger for six years, and without him for over thrice that. He is no longer the cabin boy of the Oro Jackson. He is a captain in his own right now, with his own crew. He is more than what they remember, and so is Shanks.)

“They better not try and make trouble on this island!” Kuukaku laughs. “Or we'll have to teach them a lesson again!”

But they don't see it. They look at Buggy an Shanks and they don't see the grown men, the captains, the Yonko. They see two little boys who argued over anything and everything and followed Gol D Roger everywhere like little ducklings. And it _stings._

“Yare yare,” Shanks drawls, and his tone is perfectly polite but Buggy can feel the tension in his frame. “How about we all remember that we have manners, hm? And that the time you’re speaking of is nearly two decades past?”

Kuukaku bristles, looks ready to stand up and earn her name all over again, and Buggy takes a deep breath.

* * *

“There is a rumour on the waves,” He starts, and his eyes are locked on Yadomaru who is paling by the second. “Of one who once sailed aboard this ship.”

* * *

The words are words he learnt by heart, all those years ago back when he and Shanks had just joined the crew and Roger had taken it upon himself to try and give them their first look into a pirate’s life. They are instinct and tradition and _old_ and Buggy _hates_ that he is the one speaking them today.

The silence in the bar is deafening. By the fire, Kuukaku, Ganju and Tsunade have laid down their cards. Shizune, Kyoraku and Ukitake are pale as snow, as is Kaien. Shinji and Urahara are looking at him with the intensity of a thousand suns, and Buggy does not falter.

* * *

“There is a rumour on the waves,” he continues nonetheless, because this is _important_ and they deserve to know. “Of one who now sails with Davy Jones.”

Yadomaru is frozen in place, hands braced against the counter, fingers digging deep into the wood.

And she is utterly silent.

“What say the waves?” It’s the Black Maria’s former cabin brat who speaks up instead, the faintest hint of a sob in her voice, but she does not falter as she continues the ritual her mentor is unable to pursue. “What tale do they tell of the captain of this ship?”

Buggy swallows heavily.

“They tell the tale of one who stood strong and fierce and was felled by no enemy yet her death was at their hands. They tell the tale of one who hid to protect one who was not but who would be. They tell the tale of one who made time do her bidding and turned nine months into twenty. They tell the tale of one who faced trial and pain alone, not by choice but by necessity. They tell the tale of one who loved and lost and decided that love mattered more. They tell the tale of one who now sails with Davy Jones.”

“What says the foam? What stories does it brings of the captain of this ship?” Kuukaku picks up the ritual again, previous snark long gone and skin ashen pale.

“The foam brings the stories of one who evaded her enemies and outwitted them at every turn. It brings the stories of one who put another's life above her own and did it gladly. It brings the stories of one who went home and was trapped there, yet was not caught in the trap. It brings the story of one who was found by one who should have been an enemy, and yet was not. It brings the story of one who hid long enough and yet too long. It brings the story of one who now sails with Davy Jones.”

“What says the wind?” Ukitake continues, voice steady even as his haki _screams_ his grief. “What news does it whisper of the captain of this ship?”

“The wind whispers the news of one who named another in her last breath. It whispers the news of one who gave another away because there was no choice. It whispers the news of one who should have watched another grow and whose life was cut too short. It whispers the news of one who should have survived, had her enemies not cut off all aid. It whispers the news of one who remained free and unbowed. It whispers the news of one who now sails with Davy Jones.”

“What says the sea?” Kyoraku of the two swords asks, his face set in stone and his had lowered to hide his eyes. “What knowledge does she have of the captain of this ship?”

“The sea knows of one who sailed upon her for years and sailed true. She knows of one who knew her well, at her worst and at her best. She knows of one who loved her and was loved by her in return. She knows of one who should have been given back to her, and was given to the earth instead. She knows of one others have tried to make the world forget. She knows of one who now sails with Davy Jones.”

“What says Davy Jones?” Yadomaru croaks out before anyone else can. “What says he of the captain of this ship?”

This is the last part of the ritual, and it takes all Buggy has to speak the words aloud.

“Davy Jones says of one who now sails with him that she died on the Island of Baterilla in the Blue of the South, and that there she was buried. He says of one who now sails with him that she died on New Year’s day, eighteen years ago. He says of one who now sails with him that she loved her crew and that she loved a Pirate King. He says of one who now sails with him that she gave birth and name to a son before she came aboard his ship. He says of one who now sails with him that she was great, and deserved more than what she got. He says of one who now sails with him that her name was Portgas D. ‘Blackjack’ Rouge.”

“There is a rumour on the waves that Blackjack D. Rouge now sails with Davy Jones.”

* * *

The bar is utterly silent, save for the creaking of the wood as Yadomaru slowly, one by one, removes her fingers from where they’ve embedded themselves in the countertop.

Buggy bows, feels Shanks do the same next to him, and then they leave, leave the bar and the Blackjacks who look like their world has come to an end and Buggy knows _exactly_ how they’re feeling right now and he knows he wouldn’t want another to watch as he fell apart. So they leave, quitely, respectfully, and they walk into the darkness until they reach the small beach where they’ve laid anchor. They don’t return to the ship, not yet.

Because as soon as the Blackjacks have put themselves back together again, all ragged edges and broken pieces, they’re going to want answers and Buggy is honour bound to provide them.

So they sit down on the sand instead, looking out at the water, and Buggy takes a deep breath and then another, until he feels like himself again.

Shanks says nothing, but he is sitting close enough for their shoulders to touch and that is enough. The reminder that Buggy is not alone in this grounds him, helps him find his equilibrium.

“I never want to have to do that again,” Buggy says softly. “Never again.”

He hadn’t even known Rouge that well. Certainly hadn’t been close to her, or to her crew. But for all that Yadomaru and her people had probably been looking for their captain for nearly two decades, Buggy had been the one to stumble upon her fate and thus he had been honour-bound to be the one to inform them of it.

Buggy might sometimes feel like a sorry excuse for a pirate, but he has lived and breathed by that code since he was seven years old. He will not betray it now.

“I know.” Shanks says, and he does.

* * *

Kyoraku is the one who comes for them, less than half an hour later.

They follow him back to the bar without a word, falling into step just slightly behind him. Kyoraku is not a captain, but this is his crew’s territory and Buggy and Shanks know better than to test any of the Blackjacks. Now is not the time for a pissing contest.

Yadomaru is waiting by the door when they arrive. She is pale and there are hastily wiped tear tracks on her face, but her back is straight and her head held high.

“Permission to come on board?” Shanks asks again, and there is no flippancy, no humour in his tone.

“Permission granted,” Yadomaru replies, and moves aside to let them in.

“Our thanks,” Buggy inclines his head as he steps over the threshold.

The door closes behind them. The Blackjacks have regrouped by the fire, and all of them have a bottle close by. Buggy relates - he too is entirely too sober for this situation.

Yadomaru locks the door before heading to the bar and throwing two bottles their way. Then she points them toward two empty chairs by the fire.

“Talk.” Is the only word she says.

Buggy takes a long swig before he even sits down.

He is not drunk enough for this.

* * *

“ _Monkey D. Garp?!”_

“ _He didn’t even know she was a pirate?!”_

_“He told a child WHAT.”_

* * *

It’s nice to know that they’re not the only ones who want to rip Monkey D. Garp’s head off his shoulders, Buggy muses as he downs his third bottle.

At least they’ve stopped cursing Gol D. Roger, at least for now. That particular tirade had turned the air blue, and revealed that the Blackjacks hadn’t known about their captains’ relationship either.

Which means that the question of how the hell those two had gotten together will probably remain unanswered until they join their respective captains in Davy Jones’ locker. Too bad. Buggy had truly hoped that the Blackjacks would have been able to shed some light on what had happened, but given the way Yadomaru had been cursing her captain’s taste in men, they had been just as blindsided by that information as he had been.

* * *

Finally, after what feels like hours, after he’s been squeezed of all the informations he could possibly give them (not as much as they would have liked, clearly, but Buggy had gotten all his information third hand, only knows what Ace told him and Ace only knew what little Monkey D. Fucking Garp had been willing to let slip), Yadomaru leans back against her chair and takes a long swig from her bottle (her eighth, Buggy thinks, and wonders if she’s from the same island as Shanks, with a liver like that).

“What now?” she asks, and Buggy sighs, drinking from his own bottle.

“I told the kid where he could find you guys, but I don’t know when he’ll try and contact you. He's barely been out at sea for two months, and hasn’t left East Blue yet. You guys are pretty far down the Grand Line, so it might take him a while to reach you.”

He hesitates.

“He mentioned wanting to head down to Baterilla soon. To pay his respects.”

Yadomaru hisses in a breath.

“She was buried. In the _earth_ ,” She spits out like a curse. “By a Marine who did not give her body the respect it was due, who did not give her back to the sea.”

“Is he planning on giving her a proper send-off?” Kyoraku asks softly, from his spot in the shadows of the fireplace.

Ace had told him of his plans before Buggy dropped him off on the Piece of Spadille, had told him he was free to mention them to the Blackjacks, but Buggy still feels like he is betraying the kid’s confidence when he replies:

“He says that it’s not his place to do that. But that he would be grateful if you allowed him to be there for it.”

“Not his… he’s her _son!”_ Poison Shizune protests

“One who has no memories of her and didn’t even know she had been a pirate,” Buggy points out.

One who still thinks he is responsible for his mother’s death, who worries that her crew will hate him for it, he doesn’t say, because t _hat_ had been said in confidence, in that too quiet voice that barely even qualified as a whisper, and Buggy will not give the Blackjacks anything they might use against the boy who had, for some unknown reason, decided to trust _him_ with that information.

He hasn’t even told _Shanks_ half of what the kid had ended up telling him that night as they worked their ways to black-out drunkness. There’s no way he’s telling the Blackjacks about it.

“Do you have any way to contact him?” “White Ghost” Ukitake asks, staring at him with a quiet intensity that put Buggy on edge and has Shanks bristle protectively next to him.

“No. I gave him my number and told him he could call me if he wanted to know more, but that it was up to him.”

Tsunade snorts.

“Yeah right. Like hell you didn’t make sure you could keep track of him when he’s your captain’s son. Cough up, clown brat!”

It’s Buggy’s turn to bristle, and maybe if they hadn't spent the past two hours interrogating him and insulting his captain and treating him like a _child_ he would have managed to keep a lid on his temper but as it is Buggy is just completely _done_ with today.

“Or maybe I just happen to have a _brain_ that is not completely _soaked in cheap sake_ and thought that I would respect the boy’s wishes when he clearly has not wish to be associated with Roger in any way. Maybe I thought it would be best to give him some space to come to terms with what he had just learned. And _maybe_ I was smart enough to realise that asking for a way to keep track of him was a _really fucking dumb_ thing to do when it would only take one person realising whose son he is for him to be hunted down like a fucking dog!”

He’s standing, he realises distantly, his fingers tight around the neck of the bottle he’s holding tight enough for minute cracks to have formed, and he’s panting like he’s just raised all of the Oro Jackson’s sails by himself.

The Blackjacks have fallen silent, and the sudden quietness is deafening.

* * *

“Gol D. Roger’s enemies have already proven that they had no qualms taking their anger out on children,” Shanks says evenly, voice so calm Buggy wonders if anyone else can feel the barely restrained fury coursing through his friend’s veins as he stands up and starts heading for the door, Buggy automatically falling in step next to him.

(Always next to him, never behind or ahead, because they are Buggy-and-Shanks and Shanks-and-Buggy and one may be a simple low-bounty pirate who would very much prefer to never leave East Blue again, and the other may be a freaking Yonkou who stands on equal footing with monsters like Whitebeard and Big Mom, but at the end of the day they’re still just Shanks-and-Buggy and Buggy-and-Shanks and such titles have no meaning amongst themselves.)

“So don’t you _dare_ let that young man down,” Shanks goes on even as he reaches for the door with his remaining hand. “Too many people already have.”

 


	2. Prends le large mon gars C'est la vie qui t'appelle Hisse toutes les voiles Bonne route et bon vent Prends le large mon gars C'est la vie qui t'appelle Eho ! Les gars...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Captain Buggy?” The voice on the other end greets hesitantly, and Buggy goes still.
> 
> Portgas D. Ace. Fuck, he had given his number to the kid, but he hadn’t expected him to actually use it so soon!
> 
> “Kid,” he replies, careful not to use names, though Shanks immediately sits up straighter. “I’ll be honest and say that I expected you to burn my number as soon as we parted ways.”
> 
> There’s a wry laugh on the other end. “Won’t say I wasn’t tempted,” The kid admits ruefully. “But I have questions and so far you’re the only person I’ve met who might be able to answer them truthfully and as objectively as possible.”
> 
> “I’ll give you that. I assume you want to meet somewhere? None of this is something that should be discussed over denden, even on secured lines.”
> 
> “Agreed,” The kid says. “We’re still in East Blue, not too far from Loguetown.”
> 
> Buggy winces. “Anywhere but Loguetown, kid. I’m not going anywhere near that place anytime soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nanowrimo is kicking my ass when it comes to my novel, so I decided to work on some other stuff as well to reach my word count. And this chapter, which had been refusing to cooperate for *months*, has suddenly decided that it needed to be written NOW.
> 
> So here we are! On the menu today, a pinch of Blackjacks, a lot of Buggy&Shanks because they give me life, and a lot more Buggy&Ace than I originally expected, but that was lovely to write as well!
> 
> Also featuring: idiots with a grudge who should really learn to let it go, some houses who did not ask to be collateral damage, but ended up becoming so anyway, and a couple of Sea Kings who would like to file a complaint for bullying!
> 
> Less FEELS than the previous chapter (admittedly, it would have been hard to top it, though at some point I'm going to have to write Rouge's funeral and that one is going to take at least two boxes of tissues to write), but still some angst because it's me we're talking about here and you should really know better by know :P
> 
> Also, I know it's been ages, but I really enjoyed re-reading all your comments as I was replying to them. You're amazing, all of you, and you have no idea how much your comments mean to me. Thank you so much <3
> 
> I hope you'll like it <3

_Prends le large mon gars_

_C'est la vie qui t'appelle_

_Hisse toutes les voiles_

_Bonne route et bon vent_

_Prends le large mon gars_

_C'est la vie qui t'appelle_

_Eho ! Les gars…_

_( **PRENDS LE LARGE)** _

* * *

They are halfway to the Red Speed, walking side by side in complete silence, when they hear the sound of someone running behind them.

“Wait!”

They turn around, wary, hands on their respective weapons as they squint through the darkness to see who followed them.

It’s Trident Kaien, who had been very quiet during the previous conversation. The man still looks much to pale, a far cry from the sun-kissed skin tone Buggy remembers him sporting back in the days, but then again the kind of news they brought back would leech anyone of their colour.

"What?" Shanks asks, and Buggy carefully doesn't wince at his tone. Shanks is done playing nice, it seems.

Well. Buggy can't exactly disagree with him here, even if grief makes people stupid. There is only so much shit he's willing to take from these people, and he passed that limit half an hour ago.

Trident visibly flinches, pausing to rake a hand through his dark hair.

"Look, I'm sorry for what happened back there. We were out of line."

_Ya think?_ Buggy represses the urge to snort.

"It's just… we've been looking for Captain for _years._ We knew there was a chance she might have died, but it was _Captain_! Everyone should have heard of it if someone had finally succeeded in sending her down to Davy Jones! So we kept hoping and…"

He sighs.

"And now we can't even hope anymore. She's gone and we didn't know and we had to rely on outsiders to inform us. That shit _hurts._ So we're not the most rational people right now and we're angry and it's easy to blame the messengers, easier than being angry with a dead person."

Buggy would very much like to protest this, because much as he loved his Captain he has no problems being fucking _furious_ at him, dead or not (mostly for dying on them, actually), but he does understand, more than most.

"Yeah," Shanks says, and his tone is icy. "We _know."_

Because that's what everyone had done after Captain's execution, hunted them down because they couldn't get to Gol D. Roger anymore but his apprentices had been fair game as far as they were concerned.

They both still carry the scars from those days, on their bodies and souls both.

Trident winces, again.

“I guess you do. Look, I’m not going to drag you back up there - ,” Like he could, Buggy scoffs internally, because either one of them could have the man down with a blade on his neck before he could react. “I just… here.” 

He hands over a scrap of paper with a denden number scribbled on it.

“If you see or hear from Ace, please give him this? And tell him we’ll wait until he gets in touch for the funeral.”

Buggy nods, grabs the paper and turns around to leave, Shanks at his side.

“And… sorry. Again.” Trident’s voice is quiet, but honest.

Neither of them answer. 

(Too little, too late.)

(That’s the story of their lives, isn’t it?)

* * *

It’s only when they’ve left Tortoise Island behind, when they’ve docked for the night in a small deserted archipelago, when Rockstar takes over the watch and sends them inside the Red Speed with a barely veiled mention that he restocked their alcohol stocks, a bottle in his hand as he sits on the floor of the small galley and leans against the wall, that Buggy finally speaks up.

“That could have gone better.”

Shanks snorts.

“Or worse. No one got shot, or brained by a staff, and neither of us would have taken that lying down. It would have turned into a brawl, and they outnumbered us. Not that we would have _lost_ , but it would have been ugly.”

“True.”

He takes a sip, then sighs.

“I’m getting really fucking tired of people dismissing us as Roger’s brats. You’re a Yonkou, for fuck’s sake!”

Shanks takes a swig.

“And you’re a captain in your own right. But most of them have been around since before we were born and refuse to update their worldview. Spent too much time looking at their past wanted posters and not enough looking out the window.”

“Morons,” Buggy scoffs. “The world is changing all the fucking time, that’s just how it _is_. Allowing themselves to get stuck in the past is not doing them any favours. It’s going to bite them in the ass, and I’ll be there to laugh at them when it does.”

Shanks taps his bottle against his.

“Preach. If we’re not the one giving them the wake up call in the first place.”

“Like they would believe anything coming from us. If you becoming a Yonkou on par with fucking Kaido, Newgate and Charlotte didn’t manage it, what is it going to take? Seriously, you kicked Kaido’s ass three months ago to put these six islands under your flag, and they still can’t see past the cabin brat thing. It pisses me off.”

Because Shanks had achieved Yonkou status in less than six years, and that was with a missing arm and the time it had taken him to recover from that. And yet he had managed it, is standing shoulder to shoulder with three pirates who had already been fucking monsters back when captain had still been alive, and still no one takes him seriously.

It’s driving Buggy crazy, because he might have decided to lay low and stay under the radar as much as he can, but Shanks has bloody well earned his title and the respect that should go with it.

Shanks gives him a slight push, leaning his shoulder against his.

“Calm down. They’re not worth it.”

* * *

Buggy side-eyes him. That’s not about the Blackjacks anymore, and they both know it. To be fair he had started it.

“Talked to any of the relics recently?” He asks lightly.

Shanks’s face twists in a scowl.

“Made a stop in Sabaody a few months ago. It was just a pit stop, but of course Shakky knew about it before we even docked, and Rayleigh tracked me down while I was meeting with some old friends from the Ryugu Kingdom. To ‘catch up’, he said.”

“Is he still calling you _-kun_?” Buggy asks, making a face.

“Of course,” Shanks snorts. “In front of the people I was talking with, even. It’s not like I’ve been working hard on my reputation so I can actually protect the people I give a fuck about, after all, and him treating me like a kid is putting a damper on that.”

Shanks has been angry at Rayleigh for nearly two decades now, Buggy knows. He doesn’t know why, exactly, only that something happened while Rayleigh was training him that Shanks has never forgiven the man for. And that Rayleigh still hasn’t noticed that, apparently. Moron.

“Still oblivious to the fact that you want to punch his face in, then?” He asks for confirmation.

“Still fucking _blind and deaf_ ,” Shanks grunts, and oh, that’s not just anger, that is _fury_ , even years after the fact. Not just about the very valid abandonment issues that they both have with the man, either, and Buggy has suspected it for years, but this confirms it. Also confirms that whatever it was had most probably involved _him_ , because Shanks doesn’t tend to get this angry on his own behalf.

On behalf of those he cares about, however… Well. They might not be Rogers’ by blood, but they had both definitely inherited his fierce protectiveness _and_ his ability to hold a grudge when it comes to those under their protection. On top of how they were before meeting the man. And Buggy had had more than one chance of seeing that protectiveness in action, even before the Rogers disbanded.

* * *

“Will you ever tell me what he did?” He asks, quietly. He’s not sure he wants to know, but if talking about it helps Shanks, then…

“Will you ever tell me what Crocus did?” Shanks’ reply is just as quiet, and Buggy freezes.

“Touché.” He concedes after a long moment of silence, because no, not if he can help it, or at least not until Crocus is dead and given back to the sea. He really, really doesn’t want Shanks to become a nakama-killer on his behalf, even the nakamas in question broke their link years ago. “It’s not… It’s not that I don’t trust you, or that I don’t _want_ you to know, Shanks,” he adds, voice barely audible, because honestly, if he could talk to Shanks about it without the risk of Shanks going berserk and killing Crocus, he would. It’s the only secret he’s ever kept from his friend, and it’s definitely one of the things that has hurt him the most. Crocus slamming the door in his face when Buggy had come to him for help, leaving him out in the storm, bruised and bleeding and _broken…_ Buggy had never fully recovered from that, and probably never will. Talking to Shanks about it would help, but...“I just don’t want you to do something irreparable and regret it afterwards. He’s not worth it.”

Shanks’ arm winds itself around his shoulders and presses him close. “And I don’t want to tell you because I know that it would only bring you more pain,” he says. “And if I can spare you even a little bit of that, then I will. You've been through enough. We both have.”

“Ha,” Buggy wipes his face with the back of his hand. He hadn’t even noticed he had been crying. “What a pair we make, hu?”

“The very best,” Shanks agrees, and then they cling to each other in silence for the rest of the night.

* * *

“What now?” Buggy asks Shanks the next day, manning the helm while Rockstar follows with the smaller ship Buggy had stolen from the marines. “My plan stopped at telling the Blackjacks about Rouge and the kid.”

Shanks leans back against the railing, his red hair batted around his face by the wind.

“Well, I’m definitely staying with you until you’re back in East Blue,” he points out wryly. “Unless you want to stow away on another marine ship to get through the Calm Belt, or to deal with _Crocus_.”

Buggy shudders. “Not happening, thank you very much.”

He hasn’t seen Crocus since the man slammed the door in his face, and he isn’t planning on seeing him again anytime soon if he can help it.

(His heart can’t take much more of this bullshit. Avoidance is definitely the better part of valour here.)

“That’s what I thought,” Shanks laughs. “So yeah, we’ll be going to East Blue with you. Might stop by to check on Anchor, especially since Rockstar hasn’t met him yet, and probably make a stop on Syrup as well - Yasopp hasn’t heard from Banchinna in months and he is starting to get pretty worried. I was about to ask you if you could check up on her and Usopp when you called, actually.”

Buggy shakes his head. “You and kids, I swear. You just wanted an excuse to go back to Dawn to dote on the brat, admit it.”

“I would have stopped by years ago if I hadn’t been busy earning and keeping my place as a Yonkou,” Shanks admits with a smile. “But between that and Garp literally chasing us out of East Blue last time for ‘corrupting his precious grandson’, it wasn’t really possible. I might have packed some long distance dendens and the young white dendens that Rockstar has managed to breed, so we could leave some with Banchinna and Makino. It’s more reliable than letters, especially if something is wrong.”

“Smart,” Buggy concedes. “I guess I wouldn’t mind meeting that kid you’re so fond of. I’ve stayed away from Dawn because of Garp’s presence there, but if it’s just the three of us we can probably slip in for a visit without attracting too much attention. And someone need to tell the brat all the dumb stuff you’ve done over the years, make sure he doesn’t hero-worship you too much .”

And if he’s nowhere near ready to say goodbye to Shanks yet, well. That’s for both of them to know and never say out loud where anyone else can hear them.

* * *

They’re halfway through the calm belt, being dragged across the windless waters by a Sea-King who had folded like wet cardboard when confronted with Shanks’ Conqueror’s Haki, when Buggy’s denden rings. He blinks in surprise. He isn’t expecting any calls, his crew should be enjoying their downtime in Ridfield, safely within Shanks’ territory, not getting into the kind of trouble that would need his input. He frowns as he reaches for it, trying to figure out who it might be.

Shanks raises an eyebrow at him when Buggy goes to answer. 

“Who’s calling?” He asks bluntly, not willing to say his name until he knows exactly who’s on the other end of the line.

“Captain Buggy?” The voice on the other end greets hesitantly, and Buggy goes still.

Portgas D. Ace. Fuck, he had given his number to the kid, but he hadn’t expected him to actually use it so soon!

“Kid,” he replies, careful not to use names, though Shanks immediately sits up straighter. “I’ll be honest and say that I expected you to burn my number as soon as we parted ways.”

There’s a wry laugh on the other end. “Won’t say I wasn’t tempted,” The kid admits ruefully. “But I have questions and so far you’re the only person I’ve met who might be able to answer them truthfully and as objectively as possible.”

“I’ll give you that. I assume you want to meet somewhere? None of this is something that should be discussed over denden, even on secured lines.”

“Agreed,” The kid says. “We’re still in East Blue, not too far from Loguetown.”

Buggy winces. “Anywhere but Loguetown, kid. I’m not going anywhere near that place anytime soon.”

He goes there once a year, around the anniversary, and that was two months ago. He’s not subjecting himself to that again so soon, especially not with Smoker hanging around. The man has an uncanny ability to sniff out pirates on his turf, and Buggy is in no mood to play hide and seek with him. Not after all of this bullshit.

(And he’s not ready to face the scaffold again, not after learning about Captain and Rouge and Ace.)

“Vidon, then?” Ace suggests, thankfully not pushing the matter. "It's about a day from Loguetown..."

“I've been there before. Vidon it is,” Buggy agrees, after a quick glance at Shanks, who nods. “It might take me about a week to get there, though. I’m on my way back from that trip I mentioned, which is something we’ll have to discuss as well, as they quite want to meet you.”

There’s an audible wince on the other end, and Ace’s voice is tight when he replies. “One thing at a time.”

“Preach,” he snorts. “Better make sure there’s enough booze to tide us over, brat. I get the feeling we’re going to need it.”

“Vidon, in a week then,” Ace agrees. “See you then.”

“See ya.”

They hang up at the same time, and Buggy lets out a sigh as he leans against Shanks.

“You okay?” his best friend asks.

“As well as can be,” Buggy replies. “I really wasn’t expecting the kid to call me, ever, let alone so soon. But he has questions, and this way I can give him the Blackjacks number and let them sort it out amongst themselves at least.”

“We’ll wait with the boat,” Shanks tells him. “If he’s wary of the Blackjacks, I don’t want to spook him. You can tell him I’m on the island if he wants to talk to me - and I would honestly love to talk to Anchor’s brother - but it’s up to him if he takes me up on it.”

“He’ll appreciate that, I think,” Buggy muses. “From what little he said about his upbringing and what led him to piracy in the first place, I get the feeling that personal agency is something he hasn’t always been afforded growing up.”

Fucking Monkey D. Garp.

“Freest people on the seas, even with the Marines hunting us down,” Shanks agrees, knocking their shoulders together.

* * *

Vidon is a busy island, the last trader port before Loguetown, which has, in the past decades, become both a pirate meeting point and a tourist trap. Thus, the merchants that used Loguetown as their supply point before crossing into the red line moved their docks to Vidon instead, to avoid the riff raff. Of course, a lot of pirates wised up to that quite quickly, and while not as active a pirate town as, say, Bannaro, Vidon is still nowhere near the place of repute the merchants using it like to think it is.

Idiots.

The island is also quite busy, which allows Buggy to blend in with the crowd. With more civilian looking clothes, no make-up and no hat, he looks different enough that no one is likely to recognise him, not that his bounty is high enough to garner much attention anyway.

It’s easy enough to find the Piece of Spadille, and luckily for him Deuce is the one keeping watch when he gets there.

“Captain Buggy,” the Spades first mate greets him. “Looking for our captain?”

“As requested,” Buggy nods. “Is he in?”

“He’s in town, out for drinks with some of the others, in the Black Shell,” Deuce explains. “Need directions?”

“No, I’ve been here before,” Buggy declines. “I’ll go and look for him. We might come back here soon enough - what we have to discuss is not really for everyone to hear.”

The masked man nods, but doesn't ask questions and Buggy turns around. The Black Shell isn’t that far away, only about half an hour walk, and he had actually walked past it on his way to the Piece of Spadille, funnily enough. The weather is nice as well, so he doesn't mind the walk.

* * *

The Black Shell is an old pub, one that has been here long before Gol D. Roger set out at sea and will probably still be there when it’s time for this good old world to end. But the booze is good, the food is decent, and the bartender doesn’t ask question and doesn’t tolerate fights in her bar, so no one gives a damn about the decor.

Ace is inside, just like Deuce said, drinking merrily with three other crewmates. There’s a couple of new faces, Buggy notices, as he only recognises one of them - the tiny but very buff lady with the toolbelt he definitely recognises as the shipwright, but the other two he doesn’t. They’re quite obviously related, siblings definitely, and despite the fact that the young man is probably at least five younger than his sister, he’s definitely behaving like the long-suffering older sibling as he tries to stop her from dancing on the table - to music that is coming from nowhere. Hu. Devil Fruit bullshit, probably. That one has to be useful during parties. Too bad he gets the feeling he won’t be able to steal her from the Spades, she would have fit in well with his band of crazies.

“Portgas,” he greets, sitting down on a free seat across from him, noting how the young man startles at his arrival. No notion of observation haki, then? Buggy hadn’t exactly been trying to hide his presence, after all, so it shouldn’t have been hard for the kid to sense him coming. He would have to mention it, possibly teach him the basics. It wouldn’t do for him to cross into the red line unprepared.

(Fucking _Garp_ , seriously, the man should have at least taught his ‘grandkids’ how to use haki! Especially since he’s been trying to recruit them for the Marines! Is he trying to get them killed?)

“Captain Buggy, nice to see you again,” the kid answers with a tight smile that Buggy doesn’t take personally, before turning to look at his nakama, who are looking at the two of them with interest, even the very drunk music woman. “You know Six already, but these are Nine,” he points towards the woman who is _still_ standing on the table, then at her brother, “and Ten. We recruited them about two islands ago. Guys, this Boke no Buggy.”

Ace doesn’t give any further details than that, and Buggy greets them all with a nod.

“Still going with the cards theme, then?” Buggy raises an eyebrow. “There are _so many_ jokes I could be making right now about you not playing with a full deck.”

Ace groans as the others start to laugh. “I’m blaming Deuce for that,” the kid mutters. “He’s the one who started it when he pointed out that the two of us had a theme going on, and then he convinced the others to go with it. Everyone is choosing their favourite numbers for now, so I’m not even getting them in the right order!”

“Though luck, Captain’” Six pokes him in the side. “You’re stuck with us now.”

“And no take-backs!” Nine adds cheerfully, jumping down much to her brother’s relief, the music around them changing to something quieter now that she isn’t trying to dance. Yep, definitely a Devil Fruit User, that one, and she definitely won’t allow him to steal her away. Too bad. He’ll have to see if Ace is up for a meetup with the Big Top before he leaves for the Grand Line, though. Ridfield is not that far away, and that would be one hell of a party.

“I see you’ve got quite the handful,” Buggy grins. “Not that I’m not delighted to make your acquaintance, but I’m afraid I have matters to discuss with your Captain that are not appropriate for such a public setting.”

At the reminder, Ace’s face loses a bit of the cheerfulness that had been adorning it moments before, and when he stands up, it’s with a new weight on his shoulder. Buggy hates that he’s the one responsible for that look on the young man’s face.

“We’re going back to the ship,” Ace tells his nakama. “Make sure you get the shopping done before you head back, you hear me? If I have to hear Deuce bitch about it one more time, I’m putting him in charge of your training for a week.”

The collective wince is _delightful_. Buggy makes a note to take to Deuce about training regiments. Mohji and Cabaji are always looking for inspiration, after all, and just because he will not willingly take his crew into the Grand Line doesn’t mean that he won’t make sure they’re Grand Line worthy just in case.

* * *

They leave the pub a few moments later, with Ace leaving some gold with his nakama to pay for his share.

“How was the trip?” the kid asks him, obviously trying for nonchalant and missing the mark by a mile, much to Buggy’s amusement.

“Well enough,” Buggy allows. “Crossing back from the Grand Line is always easier when you’ve got someone who can bully Sea-Kings into dragging you through the Calm Belt instead of having to deal with Reverse Mountain and Crocus’ bullshit.”

Ace stops and stares at him. 

“ _Bully Sea-Kings?!”_

Buggy laughs. It’s nice, he thinks, to talk like this with Ace. Buggy doesn’t really have a chance to talk with younger pirates outside of his usual tests, and hanging out with Ace is… easy. This is only their second meeting, and odds are that they'll end up just as sloshed as after their first once they start talking about the questions Ace has for him, and the things Buggy needs to tell him from his meeting with the Blackjacks, but it's _easy_. He’s easy to talk to, as long as they stay away from the touchier subjects they both know they need to talk about later. It’s not as easy as it is with Shanks, nothing will ever be, but… There’s something there, that Buggy doesn’t want to name, and it’s _nice_.

(Family. The word he is looking for is _family_.)

(It’s just not one he’s allowed himself to think about in years, except for Shanks.)

(But maybe, just maybe, he’s starting to understand why Shanks speaks so fondly of that little brat he gave that bloody hat to.)

(At the very back of his mind, he wonders what it would have been like, to know this young man from the very start, to see him grow up into the man he has become.)

~~(What it would have been like to have a little brother.)~~

“I called in reinforcements,” he admits with a chuckle. “I don’t have Conqueror’s Haki, I’m not touching that particular brand of bullshit with a ten-foot pole, but Shanks has it and wasn’t willing to let me face the Blackjacks alone after all these years, so he made the trip down from the New World to join me. Good thing he did, too, I wasn’t looking forwards to crossing the Calm Belt on my own, or facing the fucking Twin Capes again.”

Facing Crocus, more like, but that is a discussion for another, more private, setting.

“ _Red-Haired Shanks?_ Luffy’s Shanks? The _Yonkou?_ ” Ace is still staring at him with wide eyes, and there’s definitely a bit of anxiety there too, which just won’t do.

“That one, yes.” Buggy rolls his eyes. “I swear the moron has been talking about his little ‘Anchor’ non stop since I told him you were the brat’s brother. He stayed on the ship along with his nakama, Rockstar, if you want to track him down later - I know you mentioned wanting to talk to him about your brother.”

The sentence is carefully calibrated to avoid freaking the kid out. Mentionning Shanks in relation to Luffy, making him seem like a human being and not just a terrifying Yonko (and yes, he’s aware of the irony of that, since he’s usually pissed off at people for _not_ being properly respectful of Shanks’ position, but this is _Ace,_ is _Captain’s son_ , is _Luffy’s brother_ , and it really wouldn’t do for him to be afraid of Shanks), pointing out that he doesn’t have to talk to him now or anytime soon if he's not ready for it.

It seems to work, since Ace starts walking again.

“I’ll see if I have the time,” is all the answer he gives, and Buggy doesn’t press. “So this Conqueror’s Haki thing that allows him to bully Sea-Kings? What is it?”

Buggy groans.

“Remind me to kill the asshole that calls himself your grandfather at some point, brat. That he wouldn’t teach you Haki when it was obvious that you were going to end up at sea one way or the other is a fucking _travesty_.”

He takes a deep breath, and pretends not to see the full body wince his mention of Garp brought on.

“Okay, keep in mind that I’m not a teacher so I’m going to give you an overview and I’ll give you a demonstration later, once we’re on the ship if you want. Haki is a form of spiritual energy that everyone possesses, but not everyone awakens to a useful state. There’s three forms of Haki: two can be learned, one is inborn and not everyone has it, though you would still have to learn how to control it or it becomes a pain in the ass. The most common forms of Haki, and the one that most if not all pirates who are worth their bounty in Paradise have at least mastered the basics of, are called Observation and Armament. If you want to survive in the New World, you need more than the basics of them or you’ll end up dead in short order. Observation, or Kenbunshoku Haki, acts like a sixth sense: it allows you to perceive the presence of others around you, if they’re a danger or not, and can you give a few moments of warning to see an attack coming - not quite foresight, but similar enough, and some people have honed it to the point where they can predict their opponents every movement - one of Big Mom’s lieutenant, Katakuri, is pretty famous for that. Armament, or Busoshoku, does exactly what it says on the tin: you concentrate your willpower on your limb to protect it or to make your attacks more effective, especially when you're facing devil fruit users - a lot of them, Logias in particular, are immune to most non-Haki enhanced attacks. Using armament is usually visible, actually: the affected limb will take on a black glint.”

From the look on Ace’s face, the kid is definitely familiar with the last one. Which only makes Buggy wants to kill Garp even more, so he focuses on his explanation instead.

“I’ve worked hard to master both, though my strength is definitely more towards Observation than Armament, but that’s partly because I tend to fight from a distance more than close up and thus tend to use the latter more as a defensive than offensive tool, whereas I use Observation pretty much all the time in order not to be taken by surprise.”

“And Conqueror’s?”

“Conqueror, now that one is _bullshit_ , honestly,” Buggy complains lightheartedly. “It’s pretty rare, and can’t be learned, and it’s basically using your will to overpower other people’s. It’s not mind control, it doesn’t give you the ability to command others to do your bidding, but it can make people stop, and weaker willed people will often faint straight out when faced with a half-decent Haoshoku Haki user. It’s often associated with killing intent, and to be fair it’s often used in conjunction with it. Shanks has a tendency to project it out like a wave, and you can _see_ people dropping off like flies when it hits them. Pretty impressive, I have to admit.”

Buggy chances a glance at the kid. And yeah, that one definitely rings a bell. Figures. It does seem to run in families, at least from what little Buggy has seen. Some of Big Mom’s kids have definitely inherited it, at least, from what he’s heard.

There’s something at the edge of his inactive range, something familiar and worrying and _dangerous,_ and he focuses his Observation, stretches it further than the short range he usually maintains when in civilian crowds so as to not get overwhelmed.

“As I said, I don’t have it and wouldn’t even know where to start with it, but I grew up around three people who did, and Shanks definitely mastered his, so he’s probably the best person to ask if you have any questions about that.”

* * *

There’s a moment of silence, and then Ace opens his mouth to ask something but Buggy is already whirling around and dragging them down an alley and then into another, cursing all the way, because fuck fuck fuck how is this his life, why is fucking _Tavernier_ in Vidon?

“What’s going on?” Ace hisses, though he keeps his voice down.

“You wanted a demonstration of Haki? You’re about to get one,” Buggy says grimly. “And you better stay out of it - the guy chasing us was one of Shiki’s admirals during the Edd War, and none of those assholes ever forgave any of us for that!”

He pushes Ace further down into the alley, hisses another order not to interfere, then turns around to face the entrance of the alley, slipping his knives into his hands and cursing fate.

Fucking hell, of all the people who could have recognised him, it had to be _Tavernier_ . Fucking Tavernier, Captain of the Rope Pirates, who had survived Edd War with a grudge the size of East Blue, who had hunted Buggy and Shanks mercilessly after Captain’s execution because he couldn’t take his revenge out of Captain’s hide and wanted the next best thing, and of fucking course Buggy would stumble upon him while talking with _Captain’s secret kid_.

Of fucking course.

At least the kid is following his order for now, hiding further down the alley, and Tavernier’s Observation Haki has always been _shit_. Not his Armament Haki, unfortunately, as that would have made Buggy’s life so much easier.

Someone up there is having way too much fun at his expenses, and Buggy will stick a knife where the sun don’t shine when it’s his time to board the Flying Dutchman.

He just hopes that time isn’t today. He would very much prefer to avoid dying today if he can, no matter how much he wants to punch his captain in the face.

At least Shanks is close by, he thinks a bit hysterically. They’d been keeping their continued friendship secret for the past two decades, but between revealing that or death, he knows what they’ll both chose.

Of course, he’s still going to try and handle this by himself first. He’s no longer the teenage orphan wrecked by grief. He’s a grown man, a captain in his own right, and if he managed to survive Tavernier long enough to become that he can survive this as well.

…

Even if Tavernier has brought his _entire fucking crew_ with him. Twenty-eight to one is not fucking fair. Especially when most of them are _also_ veterans of Edd War.

* * *

Fucking Edd War.

Buggy hadn’t even wanted to fight that damn war in the first place, for Davy Jones’ sake! He would have been perfectly fine with sitting it out, honest! But noooo, Captain had to be a stubborn asshole!

(Okay so maybe Shiki had deserved a trashing.)

(But going up against _all of his army?_ With only one ship and a small crew?)

(That had been fucking dumb and the only reason they had survived the bloody thing was because fortune favors idiots and Ds are the biggest morons to ever exist!)

(Buggy would very much like to forget everything about Edd War, but unfortunately the world is determined not to let him.)

* * *

Still, if Tavernier expects him to still be the grief-stricken, terrorized teen he had been back when the man had started his hunt, then he has a nasty surprise coming for him.

“Well well well,” Tavernier drawls as he enters the alley. “Finally stopped running away?”

“Finally reached a place where you were less likely to cause too much collateral damage, you mean,” Buggy snorts, and enjoys the way Tavernier’s face twists at the comment. “Unless you’ve learned the meaning of _moderation_ since the last time we crossed blades? _Subtlety_ is a lost of cause, obviously, as is”

“Big words from a little coward,” Tavernier sneers, his left arm splitting into thick ropes tinted black by Haki.

The Rope Rope fruit, a Paramecia Devil Fruit that allowed its owner to turn part of their body into ropes and manipulate them easily.

Buggy fucking _hates_ that fruit, and he hates the fact that Tavernier is _smart_ even more. The man can use his ropes both to capture and to harm, to defend and to attack. He can attack from a distance with his whips _and_ capture your limbs if you try and get in close. It’s one of Buggy’s worst match-ups, as he can’t use his usual ‘scatter my body and pummel the idiots with various limbs’ strategy without risking capture, and he _loathes it_. Never mind the very valid PTSD from being hunted by the asshole for  _years_ which is just waiting for the best moment to rear its ugly head.

It’s a fucking pain in the ass, and the fact that Tavernier is backed up by the rest of his (thankfully Devil Fruit-less, at least last Buggy had checked, and he dearly hopes that this hasn't changed since) crew is _not helping_.

His Haki screams a warning, and Buggy is ducking before it fully registers, the rope-whip crashing loudly into the house behind him.

“This is what I meant about collateral damage, asshole!” He yells at the man, dodging another whip. “People live here, you moron!”

“Do I look like I give a fuck?” Tavernier spits. “I’m finally getting a chance to rid the world of fucking Roger’s legacy! They’ll give me a _medal_ once I’m done with you!”

“If you didn’t manage it when I was fourteen years old, what makes you think you have a chance now, fuckhead?” Buggy yells back, sending a punch out to knock out one of the idiots with a gun. “Also it’s been over twenty years, get over it already for fuck’s sake! Holding a grudge for that long can’t be healthy, you know? Therapy is a thing that exists, asshole, you should check it out!”

That is clearly the wrong thing to say, though, as it only seems to enrage the man further. Which Buggy had been counting on, honestly. Tavernier gets messier when he’s angry, has more trouble with his aim, and Buggy is not above using that to his benefits.

“I swore I would kill each and everyone of the Roger Pirates for what they did to my crew that day!” Tavernier roars. “You will all pay!”

“Yeah, and how many of us have you managed to track down, hu?” Buggy taunts, jumping over another batch of ropes and landing on one of the Rope Pirates’ head, knocking him out and causing the ropes aiming for him to hit another of Tavernier’s nakama. “That’s right, none of us, even though you decided to hunt down the fucking apprentices like the coward you are! Because you knew you wouldn’t stand a chance against any of the others! It’s not like some of them are hard to track either!”

Crocus is doing _nothing_ to hide his presence at the Twin Capes, and yet none of the idiots who want revenge on Roger have ever tried to take it out on the doctor as far as Buggy is aware. Which is fucking _unfair_. Why do these asshole respect the Code about about not deliberately seeking to harm medics and not the part about children, hu? Who gave them the right to pick and chose like that?

Two other pirates get knocked out as Buggy takes to the air, leaving his feet on the ground to trip and inconvenience the others.

“None of your friends are there to save you this time, you fucking clown!” Tavernier is changing tactics, turning some of the ropes into lassos while the whips keep chasing him. He’s being more careful of his nakama, now, though the surrounding buildings are taking the brunt of his anger nonetheless. “They’ve all abandonned you, haven’t they?”

That is below the belt, and Buggy has to take a deep breath even as he evades another rope.

(Yes he knows very well that he’s been hung out to dry by the others, Shanks excepted. He doesn’t need a bloody reminder, thank you very much!)

“More like they have better things to do than to hold grudges, unlike you sorry ass!” He bellows back, the half-lie easy on his tongue as he swipes a Haki-covered knife at the closest rope, smirking when it draws blood and a muffled curse from his opponent. “Seriously man, it’s been over twenty years since fucking Edd War, just let it go already! It’s not like I even scratched you back then, I’m pretty sure I was clinging to the mast and trying not to be swept away by the fucking hurricane that came out of nowhere! Also fuck you, you were the ones who decided to attack us and you outnumbered us 43 to 1! If anyone is entitled to hold grudges, that would be me! Especially after the hell you put me through afterwards!”

The asshole had hunted them down for four fucking years before seemingly giving up, and every so often Buggy would hear rumors of him starting the hunt again, which would have him up and leave whichever area of East Blue he and his men had been hanging around at the time just in case. It’s been over ten years since he’s been face to face with Tavernier, and he would have been even happier to never see him again. He already knows that his sleep is going to be haunted by nightmares for weeks to come. Thank Davy Jones that Shanks is going to be sailing with him for a while. Buggy is very much not looking forwards to those.

“Your red-headed friend isn’t here to save you this time, clown,” Tavernier is _smiling_ , and Buggy very much does not like that smile, not at all. Also joke’s on him, because Shanks is currently less than a mile away, lounging on the Red Speed’s deck, and all it would take for him to be here and kick Tavernier’s ass is a flare of Buggy’s Haki. Also, fuck him, because if there's one thing Buggy  _knows_ and will never doubt, it's that Shanks will  _always_ find a way to save him. That's just facts. The sky is mostly blue except in some of the bullshit islands of the New World, water is wet, seastone is a pain in the ass, and Shanks will always save him if Buggy needs him to, even if it takes time. _Always._  “I knew you were in East Blue, but I really hadn’t expected to find you so easily. Really, Davy Jones is smiling upon me today.”

Buggy would have liked to reply, but that’s when his Haki starts _screaming_ but it’s too late: one of his feet has been caught in a net, a fucking _seastone infused net_ , and he’s dropping from the air before he can react, crashing hard into the ground. And then another seastone net is thrown on top of it, and he can feel the energy draining out of it, and he _can’t_ feel his left foot anymore, and it’s taking a lot more focus than it should to not hyperventilate there and then.

~~(Seastone surrounding him and he can't feel his limbs, can't see them either, they've been taken and he's scared scared scared-)~~

~~(Would you rather drown, or be burned alive?)~~

(No no no no, not the time, Tavernier doesn't deserve to see him panic, he doesn't, Buggy  _refuses_ to have a panic attack in front of the asshole, he  _refuses!_ )

That’s it. Buggy is _done_ with this bullshit.

Just. Completely done. 

He flares his Haki in a long-ago memorised pattern, feels Shanks’ flare in response and in anger, feels his Haki signature move _fast_ , and he struggles to sit up despite the net.

“Seastone net? Fucking _really_ , Tavernier?” He spits. 

“I wasn’t going to let you escape again,” the man smirks, and Buggy really, really wants to punch his face in, especially when the guy _swaggers_ over while playing with a knife. “Now, what shall I do with you I wonder? Simply killing you would be too easy, especially after all the trouble you gave me-”

“Oi Asshole!” A pipe comes out of nowhere, headed straight for Tavernier’s head, but the man doesn’t budge an inch, and the pipes collides with his Haki-darkened skin and _breaks_ , leaving Ace standing between Tavernier and Buggy and looking in shock at the weapon in his hand, and Buggy’s blood turn to ice.

* * *

The kid is standing between Tavernier and Buggy, between Tavernier and the prey he’s been hunting for _decades_ , and his weapon is _broken_ and he _doesn’t know how to use Haki_ , and what the fuck is the kid doing, he barely knows Buggy, he knows there are other people who can tell him about his parents, why the _hell_ did he decide to step in?

(It's not worth it, Buggy has it under control, Shanks will be there in moments, why is Ace doing something so monumentally  _stupid_ for someone he  _barely knows_ , for  _Buggy_ of all people?)

Fucking _idiot!_ Buggy had told him not to get involved! At least Shanks’ Haki is approaching fast, because this is headed towards a clusterfuck of epic proportions.

“And what does a _rookie_ like you think he’s doing, hu?” Tavernier snarls at the kid. “One of the clown’s new recruits? I’ll take great pleasure in breaking you as well!”

_Over his dead body!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did mention there would be some idiot with a grudge, didn't I?  
> So, what did you think? Was it worth the wait?
> 
> Coming up next: Shanks to the rescue, some uncomfortable conversations, and some much more enjoyables one (What do you mean Luffy got eaten by a Crocodile??!!)
> 
> I have a Discord now! https :// discord .gg /xre VUA2 (just take out the spaces)  
> Feel free to join it if you want to read me rant about writing, throw headcanons around, discuss latest chapters and share your own writing/art or favourite fics/art!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it <3
> 
> Let me know what you thought!


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